217 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(12/10/07 4:15am)
Students will be encouraged to study abroad in Asian countries as a result of a new strategic plan for the greater internationalization of IU.\n“We’re not saying not to study in Europe,” said Patrick O’Meara, vice president for international affairs. “But we haven’t done enough in Asia.”\nO’Meara presented the plan at the IU board of trustees meeting Thursday.\nThe plan is a result of IU President Michael McRobbie’s desire to increase global literacy at IU. Students will demand more opportunities to study abroad because the best jobs will require international experience, McRobbie said in his Oct. 18 inaugural address. McRobbie said he wants to expand IU’s relationships with universities in Asia because of the extraordinary economic growth in that region.\n“Study abroad opportunities at such universities will help prepare our students for the global future and will also serve the interests of the state of Indiana,” McRobbie said in his Oct. 18 inaugural address.\nIU administrators will put a new emphasis on student involvement in existing overseas study programs to meet the goals of this plan, according to a Dec. 6 press release. To fund these initiatives, IU must look to friends and supporters, like the IU Foundation, for their assistance in raising a major new endowment to support studying abroad scholarships, McRobbie said in his Oct. 18 inaugural address.\nIt is clear China will play an important role in both economic and political spheres in the 21st century, said Larry MacIntyre, director of media relations. Many future professionals in America will find themselves dealing with Chinese people, laws and customs. McRobbie recognizes this and wants to make sure IU students have international experience, MacIntyre said.\nActively recruiting the best international students is also part of the plan, O’Meara said. IU must find ways to be competitive in bringing these students to its campuses. This is where McRobbie’s recent trip to Zhejiang University in China comes into significance, O’Meara said. McRobbie and several IU deans were in China to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the linkage between IU and Zhejiang University and the 20th anniversary of the sister state relationship between Indiana and the Zhejiang province. These anniversaries represent a good relationship with an important part of China, O’Meara said.\n“There’s a lot of technology there,” O’Meara said. “It’s like the Silicon Valley of China.”\nMcRobbie visited other study abroad sites in China and attended some classes, O’Meara said. He also stopped in Beijing and Shanghai.\nO’Meara said IU has a great reputation in the international arena because of the work of people like former IU President Herman B Wells. Part of Wells’ legacy was that he saw IU as an international university, O’Meara said.\n“He did everything he could to internationalize the university and left a great base to build on,” O’Meara said. “Now we must look toward the future.”
(12/07/07 5:23am)
Construction of a new classroom building and implementation of the McNutt Quad student access card project, among other things, will be up for approval at today’s board of trustees meeting in the University Place Conference Center at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. \nDirector of Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said he expects the new classroom building to be approved with minimum fuss.\n“It will not be a major building like Ballantine,” MacIntyre said. “It will conform to the look of buildings along Third Street. It will be two or three stories and fit in with the neighborhood.”\nThe University will put out a proposal to potential builders if the building is approved by the board, MacIntyre said. The proposal will include the size of the building and other standards required by the University. Potential builders will then submit bids that will include a design and construction costs.\nThe total cost will be between $5 and $7 million and completed by 2009, MacIntyre said. The building will provide classroom and support space for International Studies and other academic programs, according to the board of trustees’ Web site. It will be constructed on the south side of Third Street, according to the site. The building would be made with limestone if it were built on the north side of Third Street, MacIntyre said, which is on the main campus. Buildings on the main campus are built to higher standards than other campus buildings so they will last for generations, he added.\nWhile the University will request state funding for the new classroom building if it is approved, the transition from key locks to access cards at McNutt will be paid for with money set aside by Residential Programs and Services.\n“It’s important to understand RPS is spending money they have placed in reserves,” said Pat Connor, executive director of RPS. “Because of the size of this project, it must be approved, but it will be paid for with money that has been set aside. There will be no increase in rates.”\nStudents living in McNutt will use their student ID cards to unlock both the doors to their rooms and the exterior doors of the building if the project is approved today, Connor said. RPS made the decision to transition to access cards because they provide better security and will cost less in the long run, he added.\nWhen a student loses his or her key, the lock on the dorm is changed, but if someone finds that key he or she will then have access to the building because the locks on the exterior doors are not changed, Connor said. McNutt averages 300 lock changes each year, Connor said. If a student loses an ID card, it can be deactivated immediately with the card access system.\nA card access system was put in place at Willkie when it was remodeled in 1999, Connor said. Briscoe Quad and Forest Quad have card access systems for exterior doors only. RPS plans to eventually implement the system in all dorms, Connor said.\nA joint meeting of finance and audit committees is also on the agenda for today’s board of trustees meeting. They will discuss implementation of IU President Michael McRobbie’s plan to improve residence halls on the Bloomington campus, Connor said.\n“The goal is to talk and get the trustees an update on how the University is responding to the president’s desire to improve residence halls on the Bloomington campus,” Connor said. “I don’t believe any specific projects will be mentioned.”
(12/06/07 5:00am)
I have had more fun in college than any other time in my life. Some weeks were hell because of tests I had to take and papers I had to write, but the memories I made on the weekends will last me a lifetime. As the incoming editor of WEEKEND magazine, I want this publication to showcase the things that make weekends in Bloomington so much fun for so many people, and to do that I need your help. \nOne of the things I talked about as I interviewed students to hire for my staff was collaboration. Each staff member will have a specific title but they will all be responsible for making WEEKEND a publication IU students look forward to reading every Thursday. If my designer has an idea for a story, or if my features editor has an idea for the cover of the magazine, I want to know about it. This idea of collaboration extends to the readers of WEEKEND as well. If you have found some unique way to have fun on the weekend or if you see a group of people who have started a new trend, I want to know about it. \nWEEKEND has become stereotyped by some as a magazine with stories about drinking games and reviews of indie-rock bands, but I want this publication to be more than that. Most students already know everything there is to know about drinking games, so I want to find the things you can do for fun that the majority of students don't know about. Most students have more than one genre of music on their iPods, and I want the reviews section to acknowledge that. \nI want to do these things so that when you're sitting in class on a Thursday and your professor is boring you to tears, you can pick up the latest issue of WEEKEND to find something to do that night and the music you're going to listen to while you're getting ready.
(11/26/07 4:28am)
Bloomington is big enough for two cookie delivery businesses, said Geoff Stickel, general manager of Insomnia Cookies.\n“There are plenty of pizza places in town,” Stickel said. “There should be plenty of room for cookie places.”\nInsomnia Cookies opened about three weeks ago at 302 N. Walnut St., just up the road from Baked! of Bloomington’s new location at 113 W. Seventh St. Both business sell cookies that can be delivered directly to the customer’s door. Insomnia is a small company with stores on college campuses around the country, while Baked! is a student-owned, locally run business. \nStickel and Baked! owner Jared Schneider both said they didn’t know about the other’s business when they decided to open their own.\nStickel said he has been peppered with questions from people who thought he was trying to move in on Baked!’s business, but this is not the case.\n“We wish them the best,” Stickel said.\nStickel said “young kids” coming out of the bars have tried to bait him into bad-mouthing Baked! with questions about whose cookies are better. Insomnia and Baked! have swapped cookies, and Stickel said he is happy with his product.\n“I invite anybody to try ours and compare,” Stickel said.\nSchneider, an IU senior, was open about his opinion of Insomnia.\n“I know our cookies are better than theirs,” Schneider said.\nSchneider said he believes Insomnia will help Baked!’s business by spending money on advertisements to spread awareness about places that deliver cookies. People will try Insomnia and then be blown away when they try Baked!, Schneider said.\nSimilarly, Stickel said Baked! will help Insomnia’s business.\n“A few people know cookies can be ordered late at night,” Stickel said. “The more publicity, the better.”\nSchneider got the idea for Baked! when he brought a batch of his mom’s “incredible chocolate chip” cookies back to school with him and shared them with his friends. He was eating the cookies when he had a thought.\n“What if you could call a number and get hot cookies delivered to your door?” Schneider said.\nAbout one month after \ndeciding to open Baked!, \nSchneider said he was told there was a business called Insomnia Cookies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.\n“I knew when I opened I had about a year before Insomnia was coming,” Schneider said.\nInsomnia Cookies was founded in 2003 at the University of Pennsylvania, according to the Insomnia Cookies Web site.\n“It’s a corporation, and I know that’s a negative connotation for some people, but we’re a small company,” Stickel said. “We still have a family vibe.”\nStickel said he talks to his bosses daily and they have given him permission to recruit local artists to put some kind of art work inside the store. Stickel said he would prefer this instead of the typical, cliche pictures of IU that are used to demonstrate a community tie-in.\nNeither Stickel nor Schneider know if one will put the other out of business, but there is only one way to find out.\n“Customers will make their votes,” Schneider said.
(11/15/07 5:17am)
IU officials are warning students who share illegally downloaded files that they could be subjected to lawsuits, but not all types of downloading would likely lead to action from the Recording Industry Association of America. \nIU sent out an e-mail to students Nov. 7 in response to the association filing new “early settlement” letters against multiple IU students in October. The e-mail warned students they could be sued for thousands of dollars by music companies for using peer-to-peer software such as Bit Torrent and LimeWire to share music files.\nHowever, downloading copyrighted files is not illegal if the files are stored for personal use, said Stacee Evans, staff attorney with IU Student Legal Services. \n“It is my understanding that (software such as Bit Torrent and LimeWire) have these files legally,” Evans said. “As long as you don’t share what you download, you should be OK.” \nMusic companies don’t seem to be going after people who aren’t sharing files because their main concern is distribution, Evans said. According to the companies, the more people who download the files for free, the more it cuts into their profit margins. Information about how students can download files from programs such as LimeWire in ways that they cannot be shared is detailed in the IU Knowledge Base at http://kb.iu.edu/data/akej.html.\nStill, anyone who downloads and shares movie or music files is at risk of getting caught, Evans said. Students don’t have to be intentionally sharing files for music companies to take action against them.\n“If they are doing it, it is assumed they are doing it with willful disregard of copyright ownership,” Evans said. “And they will probably get nailed for some pretty hefty fines.”\nIf students are sharing files, it becomes copyright infringement, Evans said. Copyright infringement carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine in compliance with the No Electronic Theft Act, according to filesharing.iu.edu. The act made reproducing, distributing and sharing electronic copyrighted works such as songs, movies or games a federal crime in 1997. Prior to this legislation, those who did not profit from intentionally distributing copied software files over the Internet did not face criminal penalties.\nThe association finds people who are sharing files by hacking into file-sharing programs, Evans said. The association can’t identify the individual immediately, but it can track which computers are sharing files. The association then contacts the offender’s Internet service provider. The ISP will receive a notice from the association. \nIf IU is the ISP, the University will forward the notice to the individual so they have the opportunity to settle with the association, Evans said. The individual has 20 days to settle at the lowest settlement amount. If the individual doesn’t settle within 20 days, the association will file a lawsuit in federal court. A subpoena will then be sent to the ISP, which will be forced to release the individual’s name, Evans said.\nIn September, three IU students were sued for violating copyright laws after each rejected pre-litigation settlements in the spring. Individuals can fight lawsuits filed by the association, but they hardly ever win, Evans said. One case in Minnesota went before a jury in October. The student’s defense was mistaken identity, which is considered to be a good defense for these types of cases. She still lost, Evans said.\nJunior Hilary Gaiser said she thinks students will continue to download music and share files, despite the warnings. She also said she does not like that lawsuits are being filed against college students.\n“At some point they have a right because there’s laws against it, but why pick on us?” Gaiser said.\nStudents who don’t agree with the law need to get involved in the legislative process, Evans said.\n“Talk to your legislator and make it clear this law is not satisfactory to the constituency,” Evans said. “And vote!”
(11/15/07 5:00am)
Players Pub\n424 S. Walnut St.
(11/08/07 5:43am)
The use of all tobacco products will be prohibited on University property starting Jan. 1, but Provost Karen Hanson might grant exceptions to the policy.\n“You can’t make addicted smokers cease addiction overnight,” Hanson said.\nThe policy states exceptions might be granted by the provost for the use of tobacco products in areas near resident facilities and the Indiana Memorial Union.\nFreshmen are required to live in residence halls, but some students come to IU unaware of the policy, Hanson said. Residential Programs and Services is proposing various exemption spots so tobacco users who live on campus can get through the transition period, Hanson said.\nThe IMU schedules conferences several years in advance, and people attending a conference may not have been informed that IU will be a tobacco-free campus, Hanson said.\nHanson took another step toward the implementation of IU’s new tobacco policy when she sent an e-mail to all IU-Bloomington students last week.\nStudents’ reactions to the policy vary depending on whether they use tobacco products.\nSenior Tyler Noland said he began smoking cigarettes when he started college. He said he planned to begin chewing tobacco again when the policy goes into effect, until he learned the policy encompasses all tobacco products.\n“I think that’s getting a little invasive because that doesn’t really affect anybody,” Noland said.\nThe policy doesn’t bother junior Patrick O’Marro because he doesn’t smoke. He said the policy is needed in certain areas of campus.\n“There’s so much secondhand smoke walking up to the library, you smell like a chimney when you get inside,” O’Marro said.\nO’Marro said he has sympathy for smokers, but everyone must follow rules they don’t agree with.\n“I just got pulled over for not wearing my seat belt,” he said. “I think that’s ridiculous, but it’s a law, and I have to follow it.”\nEnforcement of the policy will depend on the cooperation of all faculty, staff and students, according to the policy.\nAcademic employees who violate the ban will be referred to the Dean of Faculties. Staff will be referred to University Human Resources and students to the Office of the Dean of Students, according to the policy.\nDean of Students Dick McKaig said he doesn’t think charges will be brought against students for violations of the policy, but action will be taken against students through the regular campus judicial process, if necessary.\n“Ultimately if, after time for everyone to get acquainted with the policy, someone chose to consistently ignore the policy, they would be charged through the campus disciplinary system,” McKaig said.\nIU currently offers free smoking cessation programs for students at the Health and Wellness Department of the Health Center, according to Hanson’s e-mail. \nNeva Cottam was hired as a smoking cessation educator this year after the Health Center created the position. Her job is to teach smoking cessation classes to faculty and students as a provision of the policy. Cottam believes the new policy will be a positive change for IU, as more people will go to IU for conferences and see the University as a leader because of the tobacco ban. She said she expects IU to see more support and money come to the campus as a result.\nThe policy is the result of a directive initiated by former University President Adam Herbert at a board of trustees meeting last year, said IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre.\nA number of other college campuses are also going tobacco-free, Hanson said. There are 43 colleges in the U.S. that currently have smoking bans in place, and several are considering one, according to an April 9, Indiana Daily Student article. Ohio State joined IU and the University of Iowa as the third Big Ten university to consider a smoking ban. \nWhile some students may be against the policy, the campus has decided to move in a healthier direction, Hanson said.\n“I know people are concerned about having their behavior restricted, especially when it’s something legal, but the University does have the right to control what happens on its property,” Hanson said.
(11/08/07 5:00am)
What was once a small pool hall frequented by a "laid-back old man's crowd" is now a 14,000-square-foot establishment attracting people of every race, religion and sexual orientation, said Kilroy's Sports Bar general manager Maggie Prall.\n"We capture every audience," she said. "Nobody's missing."\nWith six areas inside the bar that feature attractions such as live DJs and dueling pianos, Kilroy's Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St., was voted Best Bar in Bloomington. Manager Paul Miller said Sports is so popular because it offers something for everyone. Constant summer renovations are one way Sports tries to offer more to customers.\n"We have the nicest bathrooms you'll find at any bar in town," Miller said. "Those things help."\nThe family-owned bar is now the champion of the Bloomington bar scene, but without Kilroy's Bar & Grill, 502 E. Kirkwood Ave., Sports might have never existed.\nMaggie's mother Linda Prall opened Kilroy's Bar & Grill on Kirkwood as a restaurant in 1975. The restaurant was only a stone's throw from the fraternities and sororities on Third Street, and it soon became a favorite among IU's greek community, she said. With business booming and an abundance of managers, Linda bought a punk-rock bar in 1991 on North Walnut Street called Stardust. Maggie went to work at her mother's new bar Kilroy's Sports Bar when she graduated from Bloomington High School South in 1996. She was joined by her sister Liza in 2000.\n"We were here through the Final Four," Maggie said, referring to the 2002 men's basketball season when IU made it to the final round of the NCAA tournament. "We had the time of our lives."\nThe sisters left Sports in 2003, preceding a bad year for the bar in 2004, Maggie said. The sisters returned in 2005 to find the bar's live-music scene crashing.\n"The only thing working was the DJs," Maggie said. "We decided to move that upstairs and work on the downstairs."\nMaggie brought dueling pianos to the first floor of Sports after seeing the attraction during her annual trip to a restaurant-and-bar show in Chicago.\nAfter changing the inside, long lines outside the bar became Maggie's biggest frustration, but she found a solution when an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight was televised at the bar. With a crowd of hundreds of men who were drinking, Sports started a ladies-only line in an attempt to prevent fights from breaking out. The ladies loved it, Maggie said.\n"We want to have girls. They keep it fun and lighthearted. They're the life of the party," Maggie said. "If we make them happy, the guys will follow"
(11/08/07 5:00am)
A bucket, a pitcher, a glass and a crowd help formulate "Bloomington's Best Drinking Game," Sink the Biz. For some, the strategy is to never sink the cup, but for others, drinking is the main goal.\nThere's no clear winner or loser in Sink the Biz, said Pete Mikolaitis, Nick's English Hut manager. \n"I guess everybody's a winner."\nSink the Biz has become a tradition at Nick's English Hut, where it was created. On a busy night at Nick's about 60 tables will be playing the game, Mikolaitis said. There are a few basic rules, but tables are encouraged to make up their own, he said.\nNick's provides customers with a 48-ounce bucket and a 60-ounce pitcher of beer for $12 Monday through Thursday or $16 on weekends. Customers are also given a five-ounce glass known as the high ball, which floats in the bucket. Players take turns pouring any amount of beer from a cup into the high ball, Mikolaitis said. The cup must be held higher than the handle of the bucket. The player who sinks the high ball during his turn must drink the five-ounce glass of beer.\nSenior Morgan Schutte said drippage is not allowed during pours when she plays Sink the Biz.\n"It has to be a steady stream," Schutte said.\nRules vary, and sometimes veterans try to use this to their advantage when playing with rookies. Graduate student Nick Rossi quickly discovered this during his first game of Sink the Biz.\n"They told me I had to drink the bucket if I sank it three times," Rossi said. "That's not an official rule."\nSenior Melissa Myres was sitting at Rossi's table Thursday, Nov. 1, during Rossi's first game. She said the best way to avoid drinking the high ball is to sit next to a rookie.\nIt's go big or go home when it comes to Sink the Biz for senior Alex Maloney. He tries to pour as much beer into the high ball as he can no matter what the situation.\n"I'm not one of those guys who lets a little drop," Maloney said.\nStrategies may vary, but after 108 ounces of beer, drunkenness is usually the result.
(10/31/07 4:43am)
IU went public with its “Matching the Promise” campaign at a press conference Monday, but some students are already seeing the benefits. \nThe University and the IU Foundation started the campaign four years ago to generate funding for scholarships, fellowships and new construction. IU Spokesman Larry MacIntyre said the campaign asks donors to contribute a minimum of $50,000, which is invested and the interest is used for scholarships. IU will then match the amount of interest generated by the original donation, MacIntyre said.\nMoney from the campaign paid for sophomore Dominique McGee’s college expenses, including tuition, housing and books. McGee is part of the research scholar program, which is one of several programs funded by the campaign.\n“It made all the difference in choosing a school,” McGee said. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here at IU.”\nMcGee was one of the first five students selected for the research scholars program. More than 35 students have been chosen for the program this year, he said.\nIU was not McGee’s first choice. She was accepted to Northwestern and Columbia, but chose IU because of the research scholars program.\n“I think it will attract a lot more students who otherwise would be lost to schools like Northwestern or Columbia,” McGee said.\nThe IU Foundation is professionally advised and invests donations in things like stocks, bonds and foreign investments, said Kent Dove, senior vice president for development at the foundation.\n“The original donation stays invested and keeps earning interest every year to provide scholarships every year,” Dove said.\nThe IU Foundation worked with a small group of prospective donors during the private phase of the campaign, Dove said. The foundation will now broaden the campaign through publicity to attract more donors. Keeping programs private until success is proven is a standard technique in capital campaign fundraising, Dove said.\n“We’ve shown we can be successful,” Dove said. “That will encourage others to invest in the program.”\nAs of Monday, the campaign had generated $652 million of its $1 billion goal, according to a press release. The majority of these funds, though not all, have come from individuals, Dove said.\nJesse Cox, a Hamilton County entrepreneur who donated many gifts to IU in the past, is one of the campaign’s largest individual donors. He donated a total of $85 million to campaign, MacIntyre said. That money helped create the research scholars program.\nThe research scholars program is specifically for Indiana residents, but money from the campaign supports scholarships open to a variety of students, said Sarah Booher, IU Office of Scholarships director.\n“Students who have worked hard and achieved academically can see that an IU education is within reach,” Booher said.\nThe “Match the Promise” campaign will continue until 2010.\n“I hope the student body is appreciative of the fact that alumni and friends of the University care about making an education at IU accessible,” Dove said.
(10/25/07 4:00am)
Portraying one of the nation's most well-known and cherished heroes must be a daunting and awe-inspiring task. With so many possibilities for pitfalls, a film must capture the portrait perfectly or suffer public outcry for butchering the story's long-followed tradition. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is not condemned to the latter. It is a masterpiece that will please movie fans for years to come.\nRobert Ford (Casey Affleck) has worshipped Jesse James (Brad Pitt) since he was a child. And so, at the end of the bandit's career, when James needs a new crew, Ford is one of the first to sign up. But after committing his first murder and witnessing firsthand James' brutality, Ford's new ambition is that of fame. He takes on the task of killing the dastardly folk hero and becomes a celebrity for all the wrong reasons.\nThe interaction in the film between Pitt and Affleck is like watching an intense dance, methodical and elegant but bursting with the fury and rage of a thunderstorm. Writer and director Andrew Dominik paints a tragic picture of Jesse James that will have audiences wanting to forgive all his sins, and Pitt captures the tortured outlaw with flawless grace. Affleck's vision of Ford's self-illusion and awkward cowardice is a great performance and shows the sadness that comes with killing a legend, bringing the actor into his own as one of the best of this generation. The film's true greatness, however, comes in the tragic interaction between the two, each one so ingrained in the life of the other that they are almost one character in a story of self-hatred and capitulation.\n"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is a film that any person who calls themselves a movie fan cannot miss. Thus far it is the best film of the year, and it seems unlikely that it will not receive a nod for best picture at the 80th Academy Awards, along with a definite nomination for Affleck and very likely one for Pitt as well.
(10/21/07 11:37pm)
IU is no stranger to change, Michael McRobbie said as he officially became IU’s 18th president Thursday.\n“Indiana University’s history is a story of change in response to the demands of the time,” McRobbie said to a crowd of about 1,800. \nStudents, faculty and delegates of universities from around the world gathered in the IU Auditorium to hear McRobbie’s vision for the future of IU.\nSpeeches from Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, among others, preceded the presentation of The Jewel and Chain of Office, a symbolic necklace worn by the president of the University on ceremonial occasions. \nMcRobbie laid out his plans for the University in his inaugural speech following the ceremonial presentation. He said his vision is to enhance IU’s primary missions of education and research by renovating dorms, building new facilities and attracting a world-class faculty, among other things.\n“In recent years IU-Bloomington has done much to improve and modernize the learning environment,” McRobbie said. “However, the living environment, specifically student housing, has remained largely unchanged since the 1960s.” \nIUB and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis will need about 5 million square feet of new research space over the next 10 to 20 years, according to a report commissioned by McRobbie in August 2004. He commissioned the creation of a master plan to guide future construction on both campuses about a month ago.\nMcRobbie thanked the Indiana General Assembly for their financial support, but said he realizes money for new buildings and dorm renovations must come from other places. \n“It is simply impossible for the state to fund all of our needs for space if we are to join the very top tier of the 21st century’s public research universities,” McRobbie said. \nStudent trustee A.D. King said he is personally excited about the goals McRobbie outlined in his speech, but believes IU must be creative when it comes to generating funds for future projects.\n“We have to challenge the IU family to step up and try to help make these goals and dreams reality,” King said. \nMcRobbie has created a matching gift program to encourage support from IU alumni and friends. IU will match donations presented to the University, but details will be worked out on a case by case basis, McRobbie said. \n“We must aim high in recruiting senior scholars, and the (new) Wells Presidential Professorship will be a critical tool for making that possible,” he said. \nMcRobbie said he accepts the challenges he set forth during his inaugural speech and harbors no illusions that they will be easy.\n“I ask every faculty member, staff member, and student,” McRobbie said, “every alumnus and friend of IU, indeed every citizen of Indiana to join me in this pursuit of excellence.”
(10/18/07 4:00am)
With Halloween just around the corner, haunted houses and other spooky attractions are popping up all over Southern Indiana. While the ghoulish fun houses might look like they're all smoke and mirrors, there's more to these festive sites than meets the eye.\nBecause haunted houses are so popular, it's important to make sure each one is the best it can be in order to attract the peak number of visitors, said Dee Owens, manager of the Indian Creek Haunted Fire Station and president of the fire board for the Indian Creek Fire Department.\nBut before a haunted attraction can worry about competition, it must first be approved by the state fire marshal, Owens said. The fire marshal must check and approve all safety hazards, stressing the importance of emergency exits, accessible fire extinguishers and well-lit exit signs. After gaining approval, the manger receives a permit, which must be renewed annually, to open the haunted attraction.\n"It really is quite an endeavor," said Owens, whose Haunted Fire Station benefits the Indian Creek Fire Department. \nIn order to be the best of the best, adding new thrills and updating old ghouls is a must, said Cheryl Baker of the Haunted Train in Bloomington. Although she can't give away specific details because she doesn't want to ruin the element of surprise, she admitted that she won't go through the train station because it scares her so much.\n"I know what's going to happen and when it'll happen, but that doesn't seem to help me much," Baker said.\nMany haunted houses come equipped with their own backstory to add extra thrills and chills for visitors, and the Harrodsburg Haunted House is no different. According to the in-depth story on the house's Web site, the Harrodsburg haunt is home to a gruesome history. \nWhat started as an inn turned into a murder scene after an estranged wife allegedly murdered six guests while they slept. After the owners of the inn vanished, a deranged man named Max Gore turned the building into a funeral parlor where he supposedly carried out cruel and grotesque experiments on human subjects.\nToday, the house can be toured by daring guests with an appetite for thrill. \nAlthough some haunts may be too scary for children under 10, Owens said, college students seem to love the haunted attractions. While waiting in line, visitors are welcome to sip on warm apple cider or hot chocolate, but they should be warned that ghouls armed with chain saws are often found wandering the premises. \nWhile the thrills may come cheap, the construction of such sites does not. Most of the Haunted Fire Station's employees are volunteers who are not paid for the time they work. \nElectricity is also a huge expense, Baker said, due to the large number of lights and special effects a haunted house usually incorporates. \nIn order to make a haunt as scary as possible, a great deal of time must be invested year-round, Owens said. Updates for lighting, props and characters take place over the course of an entire year, while construction begins in late August or early September.\nLuckily for college students, thrills aren't hard to afford. Most haunted attractions charge an admission of less than $10. So grab someone to cling onto -- and as a visitor to the Harrodsburg house suggests, a change of underwear -- and go experience the scariest Indiana has to offer.
(10/17/07 4:48am)
Simon Hall is not the first contribution the Simon family has made to IU and Bloomington, said Mayor Mark Kruzan Tuesday at the Simon Hall dedication ceremony.\n“Now you can literally go from Simon Hall to a Simon Mall in a matter of a few minutes,” Kruzan said to a crowd of about 300.\nKruzan was one of several who spoke during the ceremony about the benefits Simon Hall will provide for IU and the state’s life sciences initiative. Other speakers included IU President Michael McRobbie, Provost Karen Hanson and members of the IU board of trustees.\nSimon Hall is the first of three multidisciplinary science buildings IU plans to build to enhance its life sciences initiative, said IU Media Relations Specialist David Bricker. \nIU broke ground for the second building north of 10th Street three weeks ago, Bricker said. The third building is still being planned.\nBricker said Simon Hall has no classrooms and was built for office and laboratory space only.\n“There is a desperate need for laboratory space on campus,” Bricker said. “In some cases, scientists are sharing labs.”\nBricker said 11 faculty members have moved into the building.\nThe new research space in Simon Hall has been “great thus far,” said Viola Ellison, assistant professor of biology. Ellison moved from her old laboratory in Myers Hall to her new laboratory on the third floor of Simon Hall Sept. 18. \nEllison said she sees Simon Hall as “biology central” because it’s located between both Myers Hall and Jordan Hall. Underground passages link the three buildings, Ellison said.\n“We needed more space,” Ellison said. “We were really crowded. Since we moved over here, people are taking our \nold space.”\nSimon Hall was an opportunity for the Simon family to give back to IU, said philanthropist and 1980 IU graduate Cindy Simon Skjodt. Generosity is something Simon Skjodt said her father preached to his family.\nSimon Skjodt said she was pleased the building fit in the middle of campus. It will give future generations great opportunities for research, Simon Skjodt said.\nSpace inside the 141,084-square-foot building has been divided among researchers in several fields including microbiology, genetics and biophysics, according to a University Communications press release.\nStudent trustee A.D. King said he wants to hear from students who are benefitting from the new research space. He said the construction of Simon Hall aligns with the strategic life sciences goals IU and the state are pursuing.\n“It’s one more opportunity, one more step to making IU a leader in life sciences around the world,” King said.
(10/16/07 9:13pm)
Simon Hall is the most recent contribution the Simon family has made to IU and Bloomington, but it is not the first, said Mayor Mark Kruzan at the Simon Hall dedication ceremony today.\n“Now you can literally go from Simon Hall to a Simon Mall in a matter of a few minutes,” Kruzan said to a crowd of about 300 in the courtyard between Myers Hall and Simon Hall.\nSimon Hall is the first of three multidisciplinary science buildings IU plans to build to enhance its life science initiative, said IU spokesman David M. Bricker. It is located between Myers Hall and the chemistry building. IU broke ground for the second building north of 10th Street three weeks ago, Bricker said. The third building is still being planned, Bricker said.\nSimon Hall has no classrooms, Bricker said. It was built for office and laboratory space only, Bricker said.\n“There is a desperate need for laboratory space on campus,” he added. “In some cases, scientists are sharing labs.”\nThe new research space in Simon Hall has been “great thus far,” said Viola Ellison, assistant professor of biology. Ellison moved from her old laboratory in Myers Hall to her new laboratory on the third floor of Simon Hall on Sept. 18. Ellison said she sees Simon Hall as “biology central” because of its location between Myers and Jordan Halls. Underground passages link the three buildings, Ellison said.\n“We needed more space. We were really crowded,” Ellison said. “Since we moved over here, people are taking our old space.”
(10/11/07 4:00am)
Nothing is better than a live musical performance. However, even if the musicians are well-rehearsed and the performance top-notch, aspects of the show can be tainted by an audience that does not know how to react properly to the situation. Here is a quick guide about how to act at the next musical performance you attend.
(10/09/07 4:10am)
As Bloomington and campus bus systems continue to break ridership records, the campus bus service is working to maintain safety. \nBloomington has the second highest number of public bus passengers in the state thanks to the combination of campus and Bloomington Transit bus systems. The two systems have broken several records this semester.\n“We just finished the biggest month in our history,” said Lew May, Bloomington Transit general manager. “We’re really flying high. It’s a trend that’s been continuing for a number of years.”\nThis increase in ridership has caused some dangerous practices during peak hours. Students sometimes squeeze in front of the white line – the area between the driver and the door – to avoid waiting for another bus. This blocks a driver’s view to the right, said Campus Bus Services Operations Manager Perry Maull. \n“We’re not trying to be nasty by asking people to move back or not come aboard,” Maull said. “We really have to keep that area cleared. We can’t have students mashed up to the front window.” \nThis situation makes it difficult for bus operators to close doors safely, Maull said. \nJunior Leanna Gore said she has seen people closed in bus doors because of overcrowding. \n“At certain times the buses are so crowded the driver can’t see who’s getting off in the back,” Gore said. \nSeats have been removed in buses on the X route to increase standing capacity. About eight seats have been removed from the front of those buses, Maull said. The seats have been replaced with straps similar to those found on subway trains, he said. \n“That’s much better for \npeople getting on and off,” Maull said. “It’s better if you’re standing and holding on than trying to get in and out of a seat.” \nKent McDaniel, executive director of IU Transportation Services, said he has evaluated the safety of standing passengers on a number of occasions. \n“The dynamics of a car and bus crash are entirely different,” McDaniel said. \nWhen a bus hits something the passengers who are typically injured are in the other vehicle, McDaniel said. This is particularly true when buses are traveling at low speeds, McDaniel said. \nMcDaniel’s biggest safety concern is pedestrians and people on bicycles who do not obey traffic rules. He said he has seen bicyclists riding on sidewalks and pedestrians run out in front of vehicles. \n“It’s amazing to me we don’t have more accidents,” McDaniel said. \nMcDaniel said campus bus operators have a great record of safety and he’s proud of the job they do. \n“Having increased passengers doesn’t increase any risk I can see,” McDaniel said.
(10/03/07 4:33am)
Spreading awareness about the risks of heart disease is not only a state issue for Indiana first lady Cheri Daniels, but it is also a personal one. \n“I lost my mother to heart disease about four years ago,” Daniels said in an interview. “I did not realize heart disease was the number one killer among women.”\nDaniels, along with IU first lady Laurie Burns McRobbie, will speak about the disease Thursday at IU through Daniels’ “Heart to Heart” program. Daniels encourages women who attend the program to share what they’ve learned about the risks of heart disease with loved ones through heart-to-heart talks.\nThe “Heart to Heart” program stops at college campuses throughout the state to teach young women about this often preventable killer, Daniels said.\nFree health screenings will begin at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Alumni Hall. Visitors can check their cholesterol, glucose and body mass levels.\n“These are numbers everyone needs to know,” Daniels said.\nMcRobbie will speak at 5:30 p.m. and Daniels, who will talk about health factors of heart disease, will follow.\n“You cannot change your sex, family history or age,” Daniels said. “I’m going to talk about some of those modifiable changes: weight, smoking (and other) things you can change.”\nThe program’s success can be measured by the number of schools that host the program and state statistics, Daniels said. Two schools called and asked Daniels to come in while she was discussing the program Tuesday on a Michigan City, Ind., radio show.\nDaniels said she has seen improvement in Indiana’s health numbers. Indiana once had the second-highest number of smokers, but that number has fallen, Daniels said. Indiana has traditionally been one of the nation’s most obese states, but that has improved as well, she said. These health improvements will trickle down to people’s health insurance, Daniels said.\n“Health affects us from daily living to our pocketbooks,” Daniels said.\nDaniels’ office and the Indiana State Department of Health contacted IU about the program last year, said Debbie Sibbitt, director of Hoosiers for Higher Education. The University tried to host the program last spring, but schedule conflicts between Daniels and IU caused the program to be postponed. Sibbitt said she was pleased with the delay.\n“This has worked out to be a great time,” Sibbitt said. “It’s early in the semester to get people thinking. As a bonus, Mrs. Daniels was able to partner with Mrs. McRobbie.”\nAfter Daniels’s speech, nurse practitioner Cindy Adams from Community Hospital in Indianapolis will address attendees. Then Kinesiology professor Jeanne Johnston will discuss her findings on young women and heart disease, Sibbitt said.\nMcRobbie and Daniels will stay to talk with guests after the program ends at 6:30 p.m., Sibbitt said.\nThe program is focused on women, but men are also welcome to attend.\n“Anybody should come if they want to lead a healthier life,” Daniels said.\nHeart disease is also the No. 1 killer among men, but they have recognized this for years, Daniels said. Women don’t traditionally think of themselves as being at risk.\n“We’re there to help make people aware and give them lots of information so they can share with others,” she said.
(09/27/07 4:00am)
If you're unfamiliar with vinyl and hear DJs or other vinyl aficionados spouting off a bunch of unfamiliar numbers, terms or acronyms, here's your cheat sheet:
(09/27/07 4:00am)
SEASON 4 PREMIERE: 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, on Fox \nSUMMARY: In last season's finale, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) found himself alone, as the three core members of his team were gone by episode's end. First, Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) quit because he didn't want to become heartless like House, even when House asked him to stay. Then, after disagreeing with the good doctor, Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer) was fired on the spot. Finally, Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) realized her feelings for Chase and quit out of loyalty to him. \nPREDICTION: We will get to see how House is coping on his own. Expect him to interview and train some new meat so he won't be bouncing ideas off the hospital janitor. Foreman, Chase and Cameron won't come back, at least for a while, and we'll get to see how they're living away from Dr. House.